Tuesday, March 20, 2018

That annoying statistic about guns in the home adding danger...


The Dangers of Guns in the Home.

This topic is often cited by the anti-gun crowd as a reason not to have a gun.  The statistic used, claims there is a much greater chance of being killed by a gun if there is a gun in your house.  This seems reasonable but overlooks (how convenient) the skewing variable that those who have reason to fear being shot (by reason of their lifestyle choices) are very likely to possess a gun for their own defense.  They fear being shot because they are engaged in gang activity, sex trade and drug trade meaning there are people who wish them dead (competitors) or wish to rob them of their large sums of cash (no good banking opportunities in the gang business).  Our subject individual is therefore significantly more likely to be killed with a gun.  His answer is to have a gun. Thus, an extremely high portion of the data is skewed by the “high risk” gun possessor.   Because his possession of a gun is likely not legal (age and or existing felonies being in the way) he will not have proper storage or carrying options for the gun.  This then tremendously increases the opportunity for “accidental” shootings.  When one is not legally allowed to carry a firearm, one does not wear the appropriate holster for the firearm.  Being able to drop the firearm to not get caught “in possession” is essential to continuing life “on the outside”.  Carry options then are relegated to loosely tucked into the waistband, hidden in a pocket or in the loose hood of your hoodie.  Being that the gun must be disposable means that older, cheaper, lower quality firearms are more desirable.  These guns are generally not as safe, more prone to “accidental” discharge.  Not having proper storage, such as a gun safe, increases the chances of “unauthorized” users (children in most cases) having access to the gun with disastrous results.  Please check the results in the news for verification of this data.  A very high portion of the “accidental firearm deaths” will fit this category, in my view likely over 50%.  This causes yet another skew to the data.  It is not the gun that causes the issue but the lifestyle that requires a gun and the concessions to safe carry and storage practices the lifestyle requires that make it dangerous and skew the data.  If there were a way to eliminate the effects of the gang lifestyle from overall gun possession numbers, the numbers would no longer seem so scary.  If you are not involved in gangs, your chances of getting killed by a gun are much lower.  If no one in your household is involved in gangs, their chances of getting killed by a gun are much lower.  If you do not live around gang activities, your chances of getting killed by a gun are much lower.  Those who legally possess and legally carry are not and never have been the problem.  As always it is not the inanimate gun that is the problem, it is people.  A very small subset of people, that skew the numbers into something the anti-gunners try to flog us with. 

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